Birth of First Child Is Perfect. Dad Has No Idea He Only Has Hours Left with Wife Before Her Death

For one brief moment, Megan Moss Johnson had everything a wife and mother could hope for. She had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, fed her, held her, and talked with her loving husband for hours about their family’s future.

In the next moment, though, the unthinkable happened: This Nashville, Tennessee resident’s seemingly healthy condition suddenly spiraled downward, utterly out of control, and she stepped into eternity.

No stranger to struggle, Megan had to start fighting for her life at the age of 15. At some point in the past, she’d contracted a virus that, unbeknownst to her and her family, had damaged her heart.

The illness caused a condition called myocarditis, which inflames the middle section of the heart’s wall. Myocarditis can prove particularly dangerous because it often doesn’t have any obvious symptoms.

After seven years of fighting the disease, Megan and her family thought they’d reached the end. It was Easter weekend 2010, and Megan was fighting pneumonia, too sick to eat and barely able to breathe.

All of a sudden, her appetite improved and blood tests showed her body was successfully fighting the infection. Then came the wondrous news: A heart was available.

Megan had received a reprieve. Sadly, though, it was far shorter than anyone imagined.

Two years after her heart transplant, she met and married Nathan Johnson, a guitarist for award-winning contemporary Christian musician Josh Wilson. She became pregnant in 2016 and gave birth to a beautiful little girl named Eilee Kate on June 27.

“The delivery was beautiful and smooth,” Wilson reported as part of a GoFundMe campaign to solicit $40,000 of aid for the family. “Nathan and Megan got to be together with Eilee for about 6 hours. …

“Nathan says they couldn’t sleep because they were too excited. They talked all night and morning.”

Something, though, happened to Megan’s heart, and she passed away eight hours later, leaving a horrible gap in the lives of her husband and infant daughter. Still, the Nashville community has stepped up to stand in that empty space.

As of press time, Wilson’s GoFundMe campaign stands at more than $300,000. Wilson himself says he is floored by the outpouring of support, and is astounded that more than $250,000 was donated in the first 24 hours.

Wilson’s plea has captured the hearts of many, and he keeps updating the GoFundMe page with thanks and gratitude.

“How can you help? You can give time, meals, and money. Let’s give so much more than we think we can. Believe me, Nate needs it more than us right now.

Let’s raise enough money for Nathan to get off the road for at least 6 months. Let’s cover his bills and meals so he doesn’t have to think about any of that. Let’s sleep over at his house and feed sweet Eilee so Nate can rest.

Please consider giving money, meals, prayer, or your own sleep so we can show Nate and Eilee how much we love them.

Thank you all. We are Team Johnson.
* This campaign has gotten so much love and support that I went ahead and upped the goal. Guys, this is amazing. THANK YOU for all of your support. Love you Nate and Eilee.

** Upped the goal AGAIN. You guys are amazing.

***Third time to up the goal. Breathtaking. Can’t stop crying. Thank you all for the outpouring of love for our dear friend.

****Posting another update. This page has been live for less than 24 hours. You all have raised a quarter of a million dollars. I can’t quit crying. Nathan and Eilee, we love you. Meg, we miss you. I’m raising the goal again. We’re sending this girl to college.”

Ultimately, Wilson has been left speechless: “Friends, I don’t know what to say. This is way beyond me now. Thank you.”

Life is indeed a vapor, a mist that soon vanishes. However, one mother can rest in her eternal reward knowing that the love of friends and strangers supports those previous ones she left behind.